


Last Friday Night

by vegetablebirb



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Coming of Age, Drinking, Inspired by Last Friday Night, M/M, Nothing explict, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 02:55:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20332891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vegetablebirb/pseuds/vegetablebirb
Summary: There's a stranger in my bed // There's a pounding my headRenjun should really stop drinking if he wants to remember what happens on Friday nights.





	Last Friday Night

**Author's Note:**

> Woot woot, get ready for a plot full of potholes  
Because this is my AO3 debut.  
*dabs*

It’s not every Saturday morning Renjun wakes up shirtless in a stranger’s room. But a sharp pain digging into his skull roused Renjun from his alcohol aided slumber at the a$$crack of dawn this particular Saturday. He checked the time on his phone, flinching at the brightness of the screen that invaded the darkness of the room. 4 ‘o-clock. He groaned and laid back down. His hair pressed against his bare shoulder, tickling the skin. Dam. He needed a haircut. 

His eyes flew open. Renjun had just gotten a haircut last week. He turned his phone back on and waved it around the bed. When the light fell on the body next to him, Renjun nearly screamed. He scrambled out of the sheets that he now knew were not his own and hunted around the room for his shirt. Then, he yeeted out of there as fast as he could.

-

It was 5 ‘o-clock when Renjun finally reached his dorm and was standing under the warm stream of water in the empty communal bathroom, immersed in his own thoughts. He scrubbed his skin was raw, trying to get rid of the reek of alcohol lingering on his body. What had happened last night? Out of all the people he could’ve accidentally hooked up with, why why whywhywhy did it have to be the notorious Na Jaemin? The campus’ legendary playboi extraordinaire. Or, as Renjun deemed it, the 24/7 horndog. 

Ah, Renjun craved death. He hoped he hadn’t done anything too stupid. No, his body didn’t hurt (if ya know what I mean), but his dignity sure was. All he remembered was heading to Mark’s party to “unwind a bit” after finals (Donghyuck’s words, not his). He drank several cups of something (alcohol, it was alcohol) and then woke up shirtless in Jaemin’s bed. Renjun stepped out of the shower and wipes the mirror that has fogged up. He turned his face this way and that, checking his reflection for blemishes. And that’s when he spots the purplish blot on his neck. He leaned forward, not quite believing his eyes. What. The. Hell.

Renjun slathered on about a hundred layers of concealer to cover up the hickey, even though he wasn’t going out yet. He attempted to comfort himself by rationalizing that it could be a random bruise and not a hickey at all (But like what are the odds -_-). 6 ‘o-clock had arrived and his hangover is really trying to finish the job now. Renjun returned to his room to raid his stash of ginger ale in order to curb the beating his head is getting. He counted the tallies he’d drawn on the back of his hand with a Sharpie the previous night; three fxxxing drinks. Renjun groaned, no wonder he’d blacked out. Donghyuck mixed strong drinks and he should count himself lucky his hangover wasn’t any worse.

There was a brunch study session scheduled at 10 and his roommate was out who-knows-where having done who-knows-what/who all night (Donghyuck was always a bit on the wild side). So Renjun had nothing to do until then except stew in more ginger ale and his own lack of recollection. What else could he remember? He dug into the depths on his brain, which irritated his hangover pains even further. The memories were like blurry bubbles floating just out of reach. Whenever Renjun stretched out his hand to grab one, it would pop and be dispelled from existence.  


That’s right, social media! Renjun eagerly pulled up Instagram on his phone and went through his friends’ stories. He had been wearing a cap last night so all the pictures where he appeared in the blurred distance, his face was obscured for the most part. He would probably be unrecognizable if people were drunk, which most of the party-goers had been. That came as a relief as Renjun inspected what he’d been doing the pictures he was in.

He appeared to have had a grand old time doing perfect slut drops he didn’t even know he was capable of on top of Mark’s tables. Another video of Donghyuck whooping to the music featured Renjun kissing a very intoxicated - was that Jeno? - and then turning to meet lips with an equally sh!tfaced Jaemin in the background. Wow. Drunk Renjun sure had a lot more game than regular Renjun.

After a few more hours of bemoaning the loss of his innocence, Renjun touched up the makeup on his neck one more time and headed out to meet his study group at a cafe on campus. Chenle and Jisung (the baby freshies) were already there, being the only two who hadn’t spent the morning nursing hangovers. Donghyuck showed up a few minutes after Renjun and informed them that Mark wouldn’t be joining them today as he had to clean up the house after last night.

Finally, Jaemin breezed into the cafe half an hour late, big grin on his face as if he wasn’t dying from his hangover like Renjun and Donghyuck were. Oh yes, that was really the cherry on top, wasn’t it? Renjun had seen this disgusting human being grow up. He hoped all the hoes Jaemin ever made out with could taste the crayons the kid had eaten when he was in the second grade. Calling them friends would be a bit generous. Jaemin was more like someone Renjun knew and despised being around, but not enough to turn down his offer to be lab partners in Physics.

The stupid horndog didn’t seem to recall anything from the previous night, so Renjun decided not to ask. He tried to tune out Jaemin and Donghyuck’s chatter about the party last night, and focused on trying to decipher his scrawl of notes for a formula he needed. There was a tug on his shirt sleeve. Renjun lifted his head and sent a steely glare towards the disrupter of his peace.

“Junnie~ ugh, my head hurts. Can I please have a sip of your drink?” Jaemin pouted, but Renjun prided himself in being a stone cold b!tch. Renjun chugged the rest of the ginger-ale, crushing the empty can flat with one hand, and let out a loud burp in response. “Alright then,” Jaemin said and returned to chicken scratching his notes. Donghyuck suddenly gasped dramatically. “Huang Renjun?” “Eh?” Renjun responded without taking his eyes off his physics problem. “Is that a hickey on your neck?!"

Then all hell broke loose. Renjun’s hand flew up to cover his neck just as Chenle and Jisung stood simultaneously and rushed forward to take a peek, their chairs falling backwards with loud clangs. “Not a hickey!” Renjun tried to shout over the let-me-see’s. “I swear! I just had an accident with a meter stick!” “Whoo-hoo!” Donghyuck wiggled his eyebrows, “Renjun got a love bite from a meter stick!” Then he frowned, “Bruh, your love life is sad.”

Renjun got the youngsters to settle back down, but Donghyuck wasn’t quite finished yet. “What the hell, Hyuck?” Renjun scowled, batting his friend’s prodding fingers away. “Come on, it’s for science!” Donghyuck says, holding up his Elsa ruler to the bruise on Renjun’s neck. “Science my a$$!” he retorted and tried to push Donghyuck away again. Donghyuck grinned, put his ruler away, and scrawled something in his notebook.

-

“My theory has been confirmed!” Donghyuck announced as he breezed into the dorm later that day. “Oh yeah? Finally ready to admit aliens are real?” Renjun replied, not looking up from his sketches. “No, I’m talking about you and Jaemin making out last night!” Renjun pressed down too hard on his pencil and the graphite snapped. It left a nasty hole in Renjun’s paper. “wHaT?!” he screeched, voice cracking. “That- that’s downright outrageous. Frankly a load of bull-honky. Never in my life have I been so insul-” “Don’t play dumb with me Huang Renjun,” Donghyuck’s mischevious eyes met Renjun’s. “You can’t hide anything from me,” Donghyuck said ominously. Renjun scowled, “Fxxxing psych majors.” 

Donghyuck shoved a notebook in Renjun’s face. Renjun furrowed his eyes and tried to make out what he was supposed to be looking at. Donghyuck aggressively tapped his finger at a couple of numbers written on the page. “Look! The width of your hickey-” “We don’t know if it’s a hickey for sure.” “-is approximately the same size as Jaemin’s lips.” Renjun winced at the thought of Donghyuck going around to all their friends measuring their mouths with his stupid Frozen-themed ruler.

“Alright, I admit it. I woke up this morning in Jaemin’s bed. But I barely remember anything from last night.” Renjun squinted his eyes up at Donghyuck, “Which reminds me. I really gotta stop taking drinks from you. I don’t have the same tolerance as you do.” Donghyuck nodded his agreement, “Yeah, you probably wanna remember the next time you make out with Jaemin.” Renjun accidentally made another hole in his paper, “Next time? There won’t be a next time!”

-

And of course Renjun woke up again in Jaemin’s bed the next Saturday morning. It was two in the morning and he hightailed out of there as quietly as he could. Unfortunately, Renjun remembered a little more than he had the previous Friday. Particularly how Jaemin managed to convince Renjun that stripping down to their underwear and going for a jog in the park was a good idea. After about three and a half laps around the gravel track, they were feeling very sweaty. So then Jaemin snuck them into the university’s indoor pool for a fantastic makeout session. Renjun wished he’d forgotten about the makeout session. Or at least how fantastic it was. 

Their friend group had planned another study session for brunch. Renjun was late, taking extra care to conceal the various love bites trailing down his neck and onto his collarbones. Honestly, there were so many Renjun could’ve passed for a cheetah. He had downed one more ginger ale and made a promise to himself that he would not drink any of Mark’s mixed drinks either. The tallies on his hand told him he’d only had two drinks, but his hangover was acting like he had a 6-pack of beer.

Donghyuck was absent today and so was Mark, leaving Renjun to listen to Jaemin’s supposed sexual escapades from the previous night lest be directly exposed Chenle’s screeching while the pounding in his skull was still going strong. But Jaemin just talked, and talked, and talked. On and on. Nonstop. No end. Just blah blah blah blah blah- “Oh my god, can you just shut up for a few minutes and do your work?” Renjun practically sobbed, skimming his essay which currently consisted of a few unintelligible sentences. Jaemin frowned, “Why are you such a dick?” Renjun smiled sweetly, “Well, you know what they say: you are what you eat.”

Jaemin let out a laugh. He had a cute smile, with all his pearly whites on display. And Renjun wanted nothing more than to swan dive off the edge of the world for thinking so. Maybe dive into Jaemin’s warm brown eyes. Or dive into the pool again, like they did last night when- Renjun stopped when he realized he’d been keyboard smashing and his essay was even more incoherent than it had previously been.

Jaemin decided to continue talking about ‘the one that got away’ (aka Renjun). “Anyways, all I remember is that he was heckin’ cute and it turned me on.” Renjun choked on his ginger ale. “He what now?” Jaemin groaned and yanked at his hair. “It’s okay though. I’m confident I’ll find him sooner or later. I even had a plan this time!”

Renjun rolled his eyes and reached down to grab his notebook out of his bag, letting Jaemin continue to rattle on. “I poured a sh!t ton of glitter in his bag and I figured he would be in such a hurry to get away that he won’t notice the glitter leaving a trail.” Renjun was only half-listening now, preoccupied with tugging at the zipper of his bag. “But yeah, it didn’t work out because I was drunk and forgot to cut a hole in the bag so the glitter would fall out.” Renjun yanked furiously at the zipper and replied with an unsympathetic, “Oh no, that sucks.”

Renjun finally opened his bag and blanched. Fxxxing pink sparkles everywhere. No way in hell was he going to expose himself like this. Renjun turned to his lab partner. “Hey, do you have any paper I can borrow? I left my notebook in the dorm.” Jaemin looked up from his notes with a sh!teating grin, “What will you give me in return?” Renjun rolled his eyes and turned to the table behind them, “Hey Jisung-” “Wait wait wait!” Jaemin slid a small stack of notebook paper (way more than necessary) over to Renjun. His cocky smile became a sheepish one, “I’m just messing with you.”

There was a moment of awkwardly long eye contact. Jaemin tilted his head to the side, as if considering something. Oh no, did he remember anything from last night? “Hey, have we met before?” Renjun was mentally crying. This kid was more neuron-deficient than he’d feared. “Jaemin, we’ve known each other since we were six.” Jaemin nodded, “Yes, what I meant was-” He winced, probably also from his hangover pains. Renjun passed Jaemin his half-finished ginger ale and turned back to his essay. Jaemin sipped the drink obnoxiously and finally shut up. They were productive for the rest of the study session.

-

When Donghyuck returned to the dorm in the afternoon, he found Renjun doing nothing except laying on his bed while staring meditatively up at the ceiling. “Dude, you alright there?” “Yup, 100% peachy.” Renjun was 100% a hot mess. He sat up quickly, “Actually no, man. I’m in a crisis.” Donghyuck nodded solemnly and moved to sit on Renjun’s bed, already getting into therapist mode. They sat cross-legged face-to-face. Then began the word vomit. 

“I think Jaemin knows,” Renjun blurted out. “I mean, I think he suspects it.” Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, “About what? You two hooking up for the past two weeks?” Renjun nodded rapidly. “Is it so bad he knows?” Donghyuck asked. “Yes! Are you insane?” Renjun replied, running a hand through his hair. “Why? Do you like him?” Renjun hesitated and then squeaked out a “maybe.” 

Donghyuck spread his arms in the classic ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ pose. “Then what are you so afraid of? Do you not want him to make a move?” Renjun groaned again, “Ugh, yes. But it’s not that simple.” He ran a hand through his hair again and continued in a very vexed tone of voice, “I don’t just want to be a toy he throws aside when he decides he’s bored with me.” Donghyuck steepled his fingers in front of his face and hummed thoughtfully.

“Do you want to know my honest opinion?” “Do I even have a choice?” Renjun replied flatly. He uncrossed his legs so he could flop down and bury his face into his pillow. “I think Jaemin is someone with a lot of love to give. And he’s just keeps trying to find someone who will give him enough love in return.” Renjun rolled his eyes at the pillow, “And you seriously think that someone is me?” Donghyuck sighed and patted Renjun’s calf, “Renjun, you act all mean and tough as a defense mechanism for god knows what reason. But all of our friends know you care. And no matter how much you try to hide it, you care about Jaemin the most out of all of us.”

Renjun sat up quickly. “I don’t care about that fool any more than you do. I just worry from time to time that he’ll do something stupider than normal and get himself killed,” Renjun rationally ranted. Donghyuck shrugged and slid off of Renjun’s bed, seemingly satisfied with his response. “The boxing club Jeno’s in is hosting a party on Friday, you down?” Donghyuck asked as he plopped down onto his own bed. Renjun resumed his position analyzing the ceiling, “Yeah, I’m going.”

-

Renjun asked Jeno to mix him a drink Friday night figuring that it would be more mild since Jeno was such a sweetheart. Bad idea. Turns out Jeno’s drink was even more potent than Donghyuck and Mark’s (seriously, was that boy okay?), and Renjun was left with zero recollection of what happened the previous night after only one cup. Renjun fumbled around the now familiar room for a good five minutes before finding his shirt torn in two pieces down the middle. Dam. That was his favorite shirt. Whatever, he could drive shirtless. That’s when the second problem happened. Renjun walked out onto the driveway to discover that his car was missing. Fxxxing hell. Did it get towed? 

It was too cold to just walk back to the dorms shirtless so Renjun headed back inside. He weighed his options. Renjun figured he’d rather eat Chenle’s socks than call Donghyuck or Mark, who would surely tease the hell out of him. Plus they probably weren’t even awake yet. Renjun was beginning to panic a bit. He had an interview at nine-thirty and needed to get back to the dorm now! Dread filled him from the head to the toes as he realized his only option was to go and wake Jaemin up to ask for a lift. Renjun went back inside and gulped down a glass of water. He wished he had some ginger ale.

Ironically, the trek back up the stairs to Jaemin’s room felt more akin to ‘the walk of shame’ than the previous times Renjun had ran out. And here Renjun was. Still shirtless. Carefully balancing a glass of water as he walked towards his doom. Jaemin was still fast asleep, snoring into the depths of his pillow. Renjun gulped and froze at the doorway. What the hell was he so afraid of? 

He forced himself to walk forward and sat down on the bed next to Jaemin’s sleeping form. Jaemin’s hair was a mess, mousy brown streaks fanning out unevenly over the paleness of the pillow. His bare shoulders peeking out from the sheets were smooth and tanned, giving Renjun the unhealthy urge to reach out and run his hands across them. But instead, Renjun reached out and gave Jaemin’s head a harsh prod. No reaction. Renjun was reaching out again, this time to give Jaemin a smack, when Jaemin shot upright suddenly nearly giving Renjun a heart attack. Renjun instinctively jerked back sharply.

“Sh!t man! I nearly spilled the water,” Renjun hissed. Jaemin turned around to face him, sleepily rubbing his eyes. “Renjun? Where’s your shirt?” Renjun could feel his face being to burn as Jaemin’s eyes roamed over his bare torso. “I- um...it was ripped when I found it,” he said meekly, firmly refusing to meet Jaemin’s gaze. Renjun fought the temptation to shriek and hurl himself out the window. Tension crackled in the air between them. Renjun didn’t even know if it was the good kind or the bad kind.

“So it was you,” Jaemin said, addressing the elephant in the room Renjun had worked so hard to avoid. Jaemin had stated it in an odd sort of tone that made it hard to decipher what he was feeling. Which was terrifying because Renjun could normally read Jaemin like an open book. Renjun held out the glass of water to Jaemin. “Drink up, it’ll help your hangover.” When he didn’t take the water, Renjun finally looked up. Jaemin was peering at him as if he was seeing Renjun for the first time. It was unnerving. “Why did you leave?” Jaemin asked softly. Oh no. No no no no no, it was too early in the morning for Renjun to begin picking apart the tragically tangled monstrosity that was his feelings.

Renjun panicked and dumped the glass of water in Jaemin’s face. Jaemin sputtered and wiped a hand across his face. “Ah,” he said, blinking droplets out of his eyes. “How...refreshing.” Then went right back to staring at Renjun. Renjun tried to scowl, already feeling his cheeks start to redden. “Please just take me back to the dorms already,” Renjun begged and Jaemin laughed softly. 

Jaemin clambered out of bed and rifled through his closet for something to wear. Renjun busied himself staring out the window, trying not to be a perve by admiring the view of Jaemin’s naked back. A swath of fabric hit his face and Renjun let out an undignified squawk. Jaemin nodded at the hoodie now lying on Renjun’s lap, “Put that on. Don’t want you catching a cold.” Jaemin waited until Renjun pulled on the article of clothing before motioning for him to come into the bathroom.

Jaemin opened a drawer and handed Renjun a new toothbrush. Before he slammed the drawer back shut, Renjun caught sight of a cluster of new toothbrushes like the one he was holding. It made him feel dirty, like he was just another one of Jaemin’s many one-night stands. Jaemin and Renjun brushed their teeth in silence. Renjun’s skin was crawling with discomfort. Of all the guest mannerisms his mother taught him as a kid, none of them covered the appropriate behavior towards someone you’ve been wilding with while drunk. After they had both rinsed and spit, Renjun announced he was ready to go back to his dorm.

Jaemin giggled and wiped the toothpaste from the corner of Renjun’s mouth with his thumb. Sober Renjun was certainly not as smooth as Drunk Renjun. And so Sober Renjun stood shellshocked, limbs locking in place, heart trying to escape his chest. Uh oh, Jaemin had a certain look in his eyes. His eyes flicked down at Renjun’s lips for a split second and he took a step forward. Renjun took a step back, hands gripping the too long hoodie sleeves falling over his wrists while also trying to get a grip on himself. A ghost of a smirk found its way onto Jaemin’s face as he took another step towards Renjun. Too fast and too furiously, Renjun whirled around to make a quick escape and promptly slammed into the bathroom wall.

The throbbing bruise forming on Renjun’s forehead joined the stabbing agony of his hangover. Renjun felt certain he’d died and gone to hell. Jaemin was just a demon laughing at his demise. “Come here,” Jaemin managed to sputter out between his guffaws and Renjun obediently allowed him to survey the damage. Jaemin cupped Renjun’s face between his hands and inspected the red spot on his forehead. Then, Jaemin tilted Renjun’s face slightly downwards and pressed a light kiss to the bruised skin. Renjun scrunched his nose at the faint pinch when Jaemin’s lips came in contact with the sore spot. But a tingling warmth quickly spread throughout his body, allowing him temporary relief from the pain. Flustered, Renjun turned away and left the bathroom, tripping over the mat in his haste.

-

Jaemin parked in front of the dorms. “Thanks,” Renjun murmured, fiddling with the sleeves of Jaemin’s hoodie. He chanced a glance towards the driver’s seat, only to find Jaemin already staring at him. Jaemin slowly leaned over the center console, pressing forward until he was almost nose-to-nose with Renjun. “You’re welcome,” he breathed out, minty fresh breath fanning over Renjun’s mouth. Every alarm in Renjun’s brain was going off, telling him to bolt. But his body felt pinned in place by Jaemin’s intense stare, unable to move an inch. So when Jaemin tilted his face and moved to close the gap between them, Renjun let him. 

It was terrible. It was terrible because Renjun liked it and felt terrible for enjoying the slide of Jaemin’s lips against his. It was terrible because Donghyuck was right in Renjun caring about Jaemin and cared whether he was feeling the same roaring waves of emotions Renjun was experiencing as they kissed. And it was terribly terrifying how fast Renjun was falling, down down down this long pipe of feelings he would have a hard time climbing out of. It was terrible because for the first time ever, Renjun didn’t want to stop himself from falling.

Renjun finally pulled away, out of breath and slightly self conscious. “I should go,” he said quietly. He hated the way Jaemin kept looking at him. Hated the longing and fondness in his eyes. Hated feeling so clueless, wanting to ask without even knowing what questions to ask. Renjun felt like everything was spinning out of control. So he opened the car door, hopped out, and slammed it shut. Renjun speed walked to the building as fast as he could and didn’t look back.

-

Renjun was avoiding Jaemin. Which meant he was also avoiding Donghyuck because that boy was a problematic spawn of Satan who thrived off of chaos. Renjun knew his roommate would love nothing more than to sit down and watch him squirm with discomfort as he was forced to confront his feelings. 

But Renjun also knew that he couldn’t avoid Donghyuck forever. They were roommates for crying out loud! However, Renjun didn’t expect to be busted this quickly. He’d successfully dipped on the study sessions their friend group planned on Sunday and Tuesday. There was a quiz in Physics on Wednesday. Renjun stayed behind after class to try and make conversation with the TA in order to avoid Jaemin trying to chat him up.

Sicheng had raised an eyebrow at Renjun. “Um...I need help understanding one of the concepts,” Renjun tried to sound convincing. Sicheng rolled his eyes, “I don’t think that’s true. Now get out of my way squirt, I have a date.” Renjun offered the TA an embarrassed smile and Sicheng reached out to ruffle his hair affectionately. “Stay out of trouble, kid.” Haha, too late for that.

Renjun returned to the quiet confines of the dorm. Flopping down onto his bed with a content sigh. Donghyuck’s chair abruptly whirled around, revealing Renjun’s very miffed looking roommate. Renjun let out a bloodcurdling scream, not expecting him to be back in the dorms yet. Donghyuck screamed with him (not because he was startled, but because he just could). Their room door was kicked open with a loud bang, and the RA burst in wielding a baseball bat. The two boys stopped abruptly. There was a moment of dead silence as Kun confirmed that Renjun and Donghyuck were both in one piece and weren’t being aggressively murdered. Then he rubbed his face tiredly and muttered, “I don’t get paid enough for this.” And left.

Donghyuck fixed Renjun with an accusatory gaze. “Are you avoiding, Jaemin?” Renjun groaned, he wasn’t ready to talk about this. He didn’t think he would ever be ready. Donghyuck sat down on the edge of Renjun’s bed. “Hey, I just want to help. Avoiding all your friends just because of some complications with one of them isn’t good for you. But if you’re not ready, I’m not gonna force you to talk or anything.”

Renjun pushed himself up to a sitting position and held out his arms to Donghyuck. His roommate hugged him without another word. “Jaemin knows!” Renjun said quietly, hardly above a whisper. “Ah, I see.” It was frustratingly vague. Renjun pulled away from their embrace. “Jaemin didn’t say anything?”

Donghyuck smiled his trademark sh!teating grin. “Nope, only reckoned he was in love.” Renjun’s brain short circuited and Donghyuck cackled at the frozen expression on his face. “Oh god. oHmyGOd. Who the hell even uses ‘reckon’ in this day and age?” Donghyuck’s mouth dropped, “That’s what you’re focusing on?! Plus, those were Jaemin’s words, not mine. When we all met up Sunday, he said ‘I reckon I’m in love’ with hearts shooting out of his eyes and sh!t like that. What the hell happened between you guys?”

So Renjun told Donghyuck what had happened that Saturday. Including the kiss they had shared in the car. Not including the fact that his shirt got ripped. Donghyuck let out a whistle when Renjun finished, “I can’t believe it.” He made a few odd noises, a poor imitation of the Pokemon pixel music. “You caught a wild Jaemin! How’d you do it? Did you use your Pokeballs?” Donghyuck’s eyebrows did an elaborate dance. Renjun gave him an unamused look. He was glad Donghyuck was at least having a laugh while he was suffering from an existential crisis in the form of Na Jaemin.

Donghyuck finally wrestled his face into a serious expression. He patted his roommate’s shoulder in a comforting manner, “Jaemin gets sh!tfaced every Friday and has been doing so since his freshman year. He’s hooked up with so many different people, I’m surprised he hasn’t caught anything yet!” Renjun grimaced with disgust, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Donghyuck waved a hand in the air, as if that could dismiss Renjun’s concerns. “My point is, he still gets sh!tfaced, but for the past month, he’s only been hooking up with you. No one else. He doesn’t flirt with random people anymore. And he’s been trying to drink less. Don’t you think it means something?”

Renjun wasn’t having it, “He’s trying to be less of a scumbag?” Donghyuck facepalmed. “No, are you serious?” Renjun continued to look disinterested. “Less of a STD magnet?” “Denial won’t get you anywhere in life,” Donghyuck chided. “Less of a man wh-” “Goddammit Huang! Do I need to put in on a poster? He likes you!” Donghyuck exclaimed whilst gesturing wildly at nothing in particular.

Renjun was silent, unsure how he was supposed to feel about this new piece of information. “Well?” Donghyuck prompted, growing impatient at Renjun’s silence. Renjun shrugged, not knowing what to reply. “Ugh, you’re hopeless. What are you gonna do about it?” Renjun scratched his head, as if the action would help stimulate his thoughts. “Well, I think I’m going to the party on Friday.” “And…” Renjun groaned and tried to push Donghyuck off the bed. “And see if Jaemin will make me a drink that’s any less toxic than yours.” Donghyuck smiled, looking very satisfied and Renjun threw a pillow in his smug face.

-

Donghyuck whistled obnoxiously as Renjun finished yanking on his jeans. “Wow, don’t you look like a panty dropper!” he hooted like the heathen he was and Renjun rolled his eyes. His outfit consisted of a clean shirt and a fresh pair of jeans. Simple, but never underestimate the sexiness of personal hygiene. “We’re going to a college party, Donghyuck. Not hitting up a club,” Renjun snarked back, sliding his feet into a beat up pair of sneakers. 

Donghyuck grimaced as his foot got caught (again) in one of many rips in his jeans as he tried to tug his legs through the highly distressed fabric. “Yeah,” he grunted, “But don’t you wanna dress up for your man?” Renjun rolled his eyes again, “He’s not my man.” “Not yet at least,” Donghyuck sang.

-

Ugh, maybe Donghyuck had been wrong. Renjun had wandered around the party for a full hour, hoping to catch sight of his lab partner. No dice. Jaemin was probably off somewhere playing tonsil hockey with another pretty face. Donghyuck had taken off with Mark as soon as they had arrived, so Renjun did what he normally came to parties to do. 

“Hey Jeno, can I have a sip of that?” Renjun shouted over the horrendous music playing and plucked the drink out of the swaying athlete’s grip. The cup was about half full and he drained the rest of the drink before handing the cup back to its owner. Jeno, already too drunk to comprehend what Renjun had said, peered quizzically down at his now empty cup.

A light buzz settled within his body as soon as Renjun finished the drink. He needed to quickly find a place to sit down before the full effects of Jeno’s drink could hit him. He stumbled down the hallway, which seemed to go on forever. The pleasant buzz from earlier was becoming a dull throb pounding to the beat of the music. Renjun swayed and crashed into someone rounding the corner. A pair of arms enveloped Renjun’s thin frame, steadying him. “So sorry,” he slurred and began to pull away.

A familiar face came into view and one very concerned looking Na Jaemin was peering into Renjun’s intoxicated eyes. “JAEMIN! Ma boiiiii, I was looking for you!” Renjun exclaimed loudly. Jaemin just smiled and led Renjun towards the kitchen. “Hey Junnie, where’s your Sharpie?” Jaemin asked, now that they were in a quieter area of the house. Renjun leaned on the counter and rubbed his forehead, “What Sharpie?” “You know, the one you always have to keep track of your drinks?”

Renjun lifted his gaze to meet Jaemin’s “You noticed?” Jaemin looked away, bashful look on his face. He pulled a marker out of his own pocket and gently took Renjun’s hand in his. “How much did you drink?” Renjun tried to ignore how much he enjoyed the feeling of Jaemin holding his hand, and racked his alcohol muddled brain. “Only half a cup, but it was one of Jeno’s drinks.” Renjun, in his drunken haze, was sudden hyper aware of delicate scratch of the marker on his skin and Jaemin furrowing his perfect brows as he carefully penned a ‘0.5’ onto the back of his hand.

“Why do you always drink so much, Junnie?” Jaemin inquired, letting go of Renjun’s hand. Renjun let out a whine and snatched Jaemin’s retreating hand back into his grasp. Jaemin giggled at this and Renjun hastily replied, “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. Stress and stuff. Normally it doesn’t matter because I stay up late anyways. But at the end of the week, I’m tired; I just want to sleep. And alcohol knocks me out the fastest.” Renjun groaned at the pitying look on Jaemin’s face, “This conversation is boring. Can’t we do something else?”

“Let me make you something to drink.” Jaemin banged and clanged around the kitchen for a few minutes before holding out a slightly steaming cup to Renjun. Renjun was surprised, expecting an alcoholic beverage, as the pleasant and mild aroma of chamomile tea greeted his nose.

Renjun didn’t remember much after that, his drowsiness getting the better of him. Before he knew it, Renjun was making himself comfortable on Jaemin’s bed. Jaemin sat down on the edge of the mattress. “Jaemin?” Renjun asked tentatively. “Yeah, cutie?” Renjun shoved his hand in Jaemin’s face. “Can you hold my hand?” “Yes sir,” and Jaemin comfortably intertwined their fingers.

“Can we be honest for a sec? Do you like me?” Renjun hated how vulnerable his voice sounded and wished he would just shut his mouth already. But Drunk Renjun never had a filter. “I like you, Renjun. I really do. So so much. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.” There was a pause. “Can you kiss me?” Man, Drunk Renjun really didn’t have any control over his mouth whatsoever. “That one will have to wait until your sober I’m afraid,” Jaemin replied.

Renjun frowned up at the ceiling. “Why? Do you not want to kiss me?” Renjun gasped dramatically. “Do you have STDs in your mouth?! Is that why?” “No! Renjun, what the hell?!” Jaemin said in a completely mortified voice. Then, he added in a small voice, “And you would have it already if I did.” Now it was Renjun’s turn to be embarrassed. “That’s fair,” he squeaked, his face flaming like the burning pits of hell. “Just go to sleep.” And Renjun did just that.

-

Renjun woke up to find Jaemin dozing off in an upright position. The sound of Renjun sitting up roused him. “Hey,” he said sleepily. “Hi,” Renjun replied rubbing his eyes. Jaemin siddled slightly closer, as if Renjun was a bird that would take flight if he approached too quickly. “Um…” said Jaemin with Shakespearean eloquence. Ooh ho, Mr. playboi extraordinaire wasn’t looking too confident now. Renjun raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Well…”Jaemin tried again. Renjun rolled his eyes, “Spit it out, fool.” Jaemin scooted a bit closer. “You’re not leaving yet, are you?” 

Renjun smiled and leaned in towards Jaemin so that their noses brushed against each other. “I don’t know. You gonna convince me to stay?” Jaemin inhaled through his nose, “Hell ya.” And he leaned in to close the distance between them. Renjun slapped a hand over Jaemin’s lips and pushed his face away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, you fool? I meant make me some breakfast; I’m famished.” The corners of Jaemin’s eyes crinkled up, and Renjun felt the lips under his hand lift up into a smile. Jaemin moved Renjun’s hand so that it was cradling the side of his face. “Renjun?” He hummed in response. “Let’s be boyfriends?”

Renjun looked deeply into Jaemin’s warm eyes as if hoping the proper answer would reveal itself there. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he felt as if he was standing on the edge of a steep cliff, his thoughts a roaring waterfall crashing over the sides. Jaemin smoothed a piece of hair out of Renjun’s eyes, leaned forward, and gently pressed his lips to the corner of Renjun’s; just shy of a proper kiss. Renjun took a running jump off his mental cliff, falling head first in love. “Alright,” he finally answered. “YAS!” Jaemin pumped his fist because he was lame like that. Jaemin kissed Renjun flat on the mouth and threw his arms around Renjun in sheer joy.

-

“By the way, what made you change your mind last week?” Jaemin asked as he chewed his eggs. Renjun shrugged, “I thought my car got towed. But when I got back from my interview, It was just sitting out in the parking lot, so I guess I never even drove it to the party in the first place.” Jaemin laughed, “Oh no, that’s so not what happened.” Renjun furrowed his brows in confusion. 

“Donghyuck and Mark took it out for a spin. Something about a prank and giant flamingo floats,” Jaemin explained and pulled up Mark’s Instagram to show Renjun. The first post on his feed was an image of several oversized flamingo inflatables covering the surface of the university’s pool. Renjun’s jaw dropped, “Those little snakes! I was drunk!” Jaemin smirked and put an arm around his boyfriend, “Hyuck said they just took your keys because it seemed like you were a bit...ah, occupied at the time.” Renjun groaned and shoveled food into his mouth. At least they hadn’t crashed his car.

**Author's Note:**

> Challenge: How many references to the Katy Perry song can you find? Some of them are hella subtle, but I counted like 18 (one reference per line). Also drink safely and bang safely. Thank you.


End file.
